About us: Key facts about the Ombudsmen

• There are three Local Government Ombudsmen in England.
• We make our decisions independently of all government departments, councils and politicians.
• We examine complaints without taking sides. We are not consumer champions.
• We are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen. 
• We have the same powers as the High Court to obtain information and documents.
• Our decisions are final and cannot be appealed. However, you can challenge them in the High Court if you think our reasoning has a legal flaw.
• We do not have to investigate every complaint received, even if we have the power to do so. For example, we may decide not to investigate if we think the problem you mention would have affected you only slightly. 
• We are committed to providing a fair service and spending public money effectively.
• We do not charge for using our service.
• When we find that a council has done something wrong, we may recommend how it should put it right. Although we cannot make councils do what we recommend, they are almost always willing to act on what we say.

Date Updated: 01/03/10